Mental Health Awareness Week
What is Mental Health Awareness Week?
Mental Health Awareness Week raises awareness of mental health, starts conversations, and brings focus to achieving good mental health for everyone. It is an opportunity to educate, remove stigma and in the process raise funds for the Mental Health Foundation.
The Mental Health foundation started Mental Health Awareness Week over 20 years ago, and they continue to set the date and host the week.
How is Mental Health Awareness Week Observed?
This week has become well recognised not just in the UK but globally. Every year, events take place around the world, focused on educating people on mental health, creating conversations and awareness of the things that can impact mental health, personally and of those around us.
While there is always a theme that draws focus on how individuals, organisations and governments can support this, the day often goes beyond this theme and opens thinking about all mental health topics.
Mental Health Awareness Week and Employment
People with mental health issues can face major challenges in the workplace and often feel as though they cannot approach their employer due to the possibility of discrimination and the stigma attached to mental health. It is important for employers to create a workplace that supports mental health, this week is a good opportunity to support employees, which can be done by:
- Creating awareness by sharing resources and information
- Providing mental health awareness training for all employees
- Putting clear practices in place, including routes to support
- Instilling confidence in employees by starting conversations and reassuring confidentiality
- Training mental health first aiders
